Tip of the Week: How to Compete

Feb 21, 2019

| By Steve Annacone

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Playing tennis can be extremely difficult. There are many different variables involved when trying to win the match. The ability to compete is often overlooked when analyzing a player's performance on the court.

Competing is the ability to do some things during the match to give yourself a chance to win, even if you are struggling with your hitting, the conditions, or your opponent. To compete means to hit every shot the best you can, play every point the best you can, and keep repeating this idea regardless of the struggles that naturally occur on the tennis court.

A lot of a player's ability to compete well is directly related to their ability to remember all of the good things that happen, and forget all of the bad things that happen. Using a specific routine in between points that includes recovering, regrouping, and reminding, can enhance the competitive ability and can allow the player to hit the ball better, move better, and think better on the court. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Serena, Venus, and Osaka have all demonstrated their ability to compete and often win matches when they are not at their best.

Players should do everything they can on all of the points and never give up regardless of the score. This is the essence of competing.